That means that City would rather keep hold of Aguero for another season, even if he is not an automatic first choice, than to sell the 29-year-old now while he could still command a serious transfer fee from a major European club.

Scoring an impressive 169 goals in 253 games for City since 2011, Aguero has been one of the most prolific strikers in English football over the last decade.

When asked if Aguero was staying in May, City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said: "Absolutely".

Speaking earlier this summer, the latter said: "I've read a lot of the speculation on this and it's ridiculous".